The present disclosure relates to an electronic animal training apparatus and system that is worn on the body of an animal such as a dog or a cat to deliver stimulation to train the animal or correct the animal's behavior.
In the field of animal training, owners or trainers (hereinafter referred to as ‘users’) have employed various electric and electronic technologies in correcting animal behaviors since the late 1960s. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,589 discloses a collar type device having a sensor to detect a dog barking and an electrical stimulator to deliver an electrical stimulus to the dog, in which an electrical stimulus is delivered to a dog having the collar type device worn around the neck when the sensor detects the dog barking. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,535 discloses an animal training system including a collar type device and a remote controller possessed by a user that conducts radio-frequency wireless communications with the collar type device, in which the user takes control to deliver stimulation such as electrical stimulation to the collar type device through the remote controller when a dog does a bad behavior such as barking, attacking a human or going beyond a preset boundary.
Using such electronic animal training devices or systems, animals may learn good behaviors. Also, electronic animal training devices or systems have advanced by employing electronic and communication technologies that are developing day by day, and are gaining excellent effects in training hunting dogs or pets.
Typically, target animals to which animal training devices or systems deliver stimulation for the purpose of training are dogs, but may be cats or other pets or livestocks. Also, where a target animal is, for example, dogs, there are various types of dogs including hunting dogs, military dogs, guide dogs, and pet dogs, and the size of dogs and the extent of training varies. Thus, because effective stimulation varies in type or intensity (sensitivity to stimulation) depending on the type or size of target animals and the degree of training, stimulation suitable for a certain animal may be too strong or weak to other animals.
Further, a remote controller which a user possesses and uses has an input means such as a button, a switch, and a knob to select/determine or control the type or intensity, duration, and mode of various stimulations. However, with the development of animal training devices, the number of input means increases to support an increased number of various functions, but for device minimization, there is a need to reduce the number of input means and a space in which an input means is arranged. Thus, advanced remote controllers are adopting a complex operation method by which a plurality of functions is assigned to one input means (a switch or a button), and to perform a particular function, a long press is made or short presses are made consecutively, or two input means are pressed at the same time. Moreover, remote controllers (animal training systems) have different arrangements or layouts of input means for each manufacturer or product model, so users have to be accustomed to new arrangement layout of input means when they purchase new products. Further, if configuration of input means designed for right-handed users may be adapted for left-handed users, it will be convenient.
To meet the demand or need, state-of-the-art animal training devices or systems allow users to adjust some of the types or intensities, modes, and functions of stimulation to be adapted for target animals. Further, with a slide switch or a rotary switch, users are allowed to select combinations of functions assigned to each input means (button) although such selections are made within an extremely limited range.
However, a range in which users can change by this traditional partial adjustment or selection of function combinations is extremely limited. Particularly, with the development of technology, enormous functions are provided by animal training devices or systems, while in reality, functions being frequently used by users are merely a few, and animal training devices or systems that may freely assign only functions desired by users to a limited number of input means (buttons) are not commercialized yet.